Health Sciences Design welcomes professor of practice Matthew Briggs, MFA

The University of Arizona Health Sciences and the College of Engineering are pleased to welcome Matthew Briggs, MFA, who will serve as a professor of practice at Health Sciences Design and the Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Program. Briggs joins the two programs as an instructor in digital design and makerspace technology.

Briggs is an expert in computer-aided design and fabrication, whose experience includes five years in college instruction and more than 10 years in instructional shop environments. Briggs is a graduate of Arizona State University, where he completed degrees in digital culture and graphic information technology. He then attended the Art Institute of Chicago, where he completed his Master of Fine Arts in Design for Emerging Technologies and received an AIADO Design Council Award for his graduate work. 

Prior to joining the University of Arizona, Briggs was an instructional services supervisor at Phoenix Forge, a large makerspace in downtown Phoenix that is open to students from Gateway Community College, Maricopa Community College and Arizona State University. At Phoenix Forge, Briggs was responsible for supervising and managing shop spaces, developing courses and instructional materials, and facilitating workshops. Concurrent with that work, Briggs has been an instructor in computer illustration, computer design and digital fabrication at Phoenix College and Mesa Community College.

In addition to his teaching background, Briggs has extensive experience as a multimedia artist, working in music, film, installation art and other media. His work has been featured at multiple galleries and festivals in the greater Phoenix area, as well as exhibits in Illinois, Florida and Saga Prefecture, Japan.